Together they are One: Agent of the Soul Society
by IceDragon5683
Summary: Ichigo has a younger twin sister, but something happened so that she wasn't physically with Ichigo when he became a Shinigami. But she was there, always supporting him from somewhere near yet far from him. What did she cause to happen or change?
1. Prologue

**Hi all! After reading something for class I was suddenly inspired to re-write this (that and it was horendously written the first time). I also realized that I seemed to have forgotton my own OC's name... a shame onto me. Anyway, from now on her name will be Kyoko. Those of you who already read the first version please forget and pretend this was here the whole time! Thank you very much and please enjoy the story!****  
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**"talk"  
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**'think'  
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**_flashback/dream_  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach  
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There are several kinds of people in the world: leaders, followers, those who keep the peace, those who cause panic. And there are the people whose very existence brings great change to the world as they live their lives. This is a story of two such people. Their names are Ichigo and Kyoko Kurosaki, the first twins of Ishin and Masaki Kurosaki, and they will change both the human and spiritual world.

* * *

"Masaki…" Ishin Kurosaki whispered gently to his beloved wife, "You gave birth to twins, a boy and girl."

The wakened woman gave Ishin a grateful smile, "I wish to see them…" she begged. Ishin gladly obeyed and handed Masaki the bundle that was their children, "They're beautiful…" she gasped

"Strange hair color though," Ishin joked, "They'll become the target of many people." He said with a solemn look in his eyes

"And we'll protect and guide them." Masaki assured

Ishin nodded in agreement, "What should their names be?" he asked

Masaki stared at her son and decided, "Ichigo. The great protector."

"That's quite a name to live up to…" Ishin sighed, "What makes you think he'll become like that?"

"Look at him, Ishin." Masaki explained, "He's already trying to protect his sister." The little boy didn't seem to mind he was no longer in the protective warmth of his mother's womb; he was more focused on keeping his sniffling sister warm and safe.

"Born protector indeed." Ishin chuckled, "Then our daughter shall be Kyoko, a pure child."

"Our beautiful children." Masaki said in awe, "Welcome to the world little ones. You have your whole life ahead of you."

* * *

Years later, the Kurosaki family grew in size as Masaki gave birth to another pair of twins when her first pair reached the age of 4. "Ishin…" Masaki called

"What is it dear?" Ishin inquired as he entered the house from work

"I've never seen Ichigo and Kyoko play with the other children… You don't think they're getting bullied or anything?" Masaki asked in worry

"Well, they _do_ have an unusual hair color…" Ishin sighed, "But I doubt it's anything bad, Ichigo can take care of himself and Kyoko."

"I suppose you're right." Masaki sighed

Ishin knew he was. After all, a man never backs down on a promise.

* * *

_Ishin went to pick up his eldest children as Masaki stayed home with the new borns, but he didn't expect to see his son covered his dirt and scratches and his daughter nearly in tears. "What happened?" he demanded. Neither children spoke. It was obvious they didn't want to worry him. Ishin chose to sigh, "Let's get you fixed up Ichigo, can't have your mother seeing you like this."_

_Once Ishin cleaned and bandaged all of Ichigo's wounds he left the room to clean up his tools. "I'm sorry, Ichi…" Kyoko whimpered, "You got hurt because of me."_

"_You're wrong, Kyo!" Ichigo exclaimed, "It's because those jerks made fun of our hair."_

"_But…" Kyoko began_

"_Kyo." Ichigo interrupted, "I swear that I'm going to protect you no matter what. It's my duty as a man and your brother!"_

_Kyoko hesitated at Ichigo's declaration before nodding, "Okay. Then I swear to protect you too!"_

_Ishin smiled in pride at his children from his location behind the door. Ishin walked down the hallways thinking, 'They'll be just fine.'_

Yep, a true man never breaks his promises. And Ishin raised his son to be just that.

"Besides," Ishin decided, "That just means they'll be that much better at making true friends."

* * *

Time went by and Ichigo had taken up Karate in hopes to become stronger; it is also where he found one of his first friends, Tatsuki Arisawa. Masaki began to rest easy as both Ichigo and Kyoko began to interact with other children. The two were now nine years old, and it was June 17th.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled as he ran towards a small girl

"Ichi, no!" his sister cried

"Wait Ichigo!" his mother screamed

Ichigo awoke to find his mother and sister dead. Killed in their attempt to save him. He would forever remember this day as the worst day of his life. The world will remember it as the beginning of the Kurosaki Twins' journey.


	2. The Death and the Strawberry

**Hi! Sorry it took me so long to update! There was this virus on my account that wouldn't let me update three of my stories! But it's ok now! So let the story begin!**

**Also, I didn't know I had to do this but I guess I do. I don't own Bleach or any of the characters, only Kiyoko.  
**

"**blah" talking (non bold)**

'**blah' thinking (non bold)**

_**:blah: Time zone/setting (non bold)**_

"_**blah" dream/flashback talking (non bold)**_

"_**Blah" **__**Kiyoko talking/thinking outside of Ichigo's mind**_

Chapter 1: The Death and the Strawberry

:Present Day, Ichigo age 15, 2:23 am Karakura town:

A mysterious young girl was observing the town from above. She looked over the results of her recent scan. "It must be around here… A strong spiritual power…"

So she leaps from her previous location in search of the great power.

:7:15 pm:

"What the-? What are you doing? You just come out of nowhere and kick Yama-bro and demand us to leave? You wanna die?" A random skater yelled to his offender

The offender, with his bright orange hair and almost permanent scowl, simply kicked the idiot that dared to yell at him.

"Ah! Toshi-bro's down!" the skater's friends yelled in panic "Don't know what's going on but this is dangerous… I've never seen such irrational violence! This guy is definitely one of those… If we fight him here, he'll probably kill us!"

Ichigo was getting irritated with their stupid talk so he stepped on their friends head while yelling at them to shut up. Then he pointed to the reason he attacked them "All you guys look over there!" it was a vase of flowers that was knocked over. "Question 1! What the heck can that be?" His sudden question scared and confused the skaters.

"Um… an offering to some kid that died here recently…" He didn't know why this orange haired freak was asking such a weird question…

"Great Answer!" Ichigo yelled while kicking the poor sap in the face. "Question 2! Why is it knocked over?..."

The skaters were starting to connect the dots… "…Because we knocked it over skateboarding?" They were afraid to answer and be hit like their friend but more afraid of what might happen if they didn't.

"I see… Then shouldn't you apologize to her?" All of a sudden a girl with blond hair, pigtails, and a bloody face appeared behind him, her expression was hungry for revenge.

"KYAAAAAA! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! We won't do it again!" The group screamed like little girls and ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Fu… Well, after scaring them that much they probably won't be coming back here anymore…" He then looked to the girl in question who now had a very peaceful look on her face "Sorry 'bout using you like that…"

The girl smiled "No, its fine. I'm the one who asked you to chase them away. This is the least I can do."

"Alright, then bye. I'll bring some new flowers tomorrow."

"Ok, thanks mister. Now I can spend my time quietly."

"You're welcome, hurry on and go to heaven" Ichigo stated while waving. 'Like my sister and mom. Come to think of it I never saw their spirits… I wonder why…'

Ichigo has always been able to see ghosts since he was young, whether it was because his family's job was so closely knitted with life and death or because of some other reason he never knew.

Ichigo opened the door like any other teenage boy stating "I'm home."

Too bad for Ichigo, his family is far from normal.

"YOU'RE LATE!" His father stated while hitting him with a flying kick. "What time do you think it is, you delinquent son? You know dinner is at 7 every night!"

Ichigo, who never really had much respect for his father, simply yelled back at him "Is that how you greet your son who just performed a serious exorcism?"

"Silence! No matter what reason, he who disrupts this household's iron harmony only has punishment of blood waiting for them! Or are you bragging about your oh so special ability again!"

"Shut up! It's not like I want this power!" These kinds of fights are a daily occurrence in the Kurosaki family household.

"Stop fighting you two! The food's getting cold" The youngest in the family, Yuzu, with her short light brown hair that matched her mother's color to perfection, stated.

"Leave them alone, give me another bowl." Her older twin sister stated. Karin also had short hair, only hers was a little longer than Yuzu's and her hair was the same black as her father's.

"First of all, the rules of this house are way too strict! In what world is there a parent that sets a curfew for a healthy male high school student at 7!"

"Oh! Ichigo, you have another one already." Yuzu told her brother while he ranted as she pointed to the new ghost that wanted his help.

"What? Again! I get rid of them again and again but more just keep coming!"

"Well no duh. You can see, touch, and talk to them plus you're a special level spirit medium. You're troubles are fourfold. Must be tough." Karin stated the obvious after finishing her fill of dinner and started to converse to her sister about her opinion on the existence of spirits.

Ichigo, getting annoyed at his sisters' conversation, decided to ask them to stop when his father attacked him with a wrestling move yelling "An Opening!"

For a second Ichigo let his father hold him to the ground before throwing him off more pissed off than ever. He decided to just skip dinner and go to his room. Which lead to his sisters lecturing his father, ultimately leading to the …eccentric father crying to the poster of his wife with his problems.

Ichigo has always been able to see ghosts to the same extent he could see people, but the ones he saw were just ordinary people. So the thought of 'Shinigami' never really occurred to him.

Until tonight.

"Jeez, why is every night like this…?" Ichigo walks into his room with his usual scowl, and spots the picture of him, his sister and mother. "Hey mom, Kiyoko…" Ichigo said with a sad smile that showed how much he truly cared for them.

Then, out of nowhere, a black butterfly flew into his room. "Huh? What's a butterfly doing here?" Then, Ichigo saw a sight he never though could happen.

:Ichigo's subconscious:

Kiyoko had grown along with Ichigo and had simply lived in his mind with no real way of knowing how she would get out. Her pale orange hair has grown to the middle of her back, her basic figure became that of a very attractive girl without any extreme proportions, but since she never really lived since her death her eyes held a shine that could only be described as innocence. She had learned how to see into the outside world and even go there, but no one outside could see her. Not even Ichigo. She had lost hope in coming back to life.

A small cold wind went through Ichigo's mind. "Hm? Ichigo seems to be bothered by something. I should check in out." She opens a portal to the outside world only to be just as shocked as Ichigo.

:Ichigo's room:

A young girl had walked right through his wall through a black hole saying "It… is near…" in a serious tone.

Until Ichigo got pissed off at her and kicked her "'It is near' my ass! You're pretty confident for a burglar! You think the safe is near do you?"

The girl was far to shocked to answer his question. "You… you can see me? I mean… you just kicked me…"

Now Ichigo was confused "huh? What are you talking about? Of course I can see you…"

_"Is this girl supposed to not be seen by others? Even spirits aren't this surprised when Ichigo speaks to them."_

At this moment, Ichigo's father had enough of Ichigo's random yelling "Be quiet Ichigo! Don't make a ruckus on the second floor!" he yelled while kicking Ichigo in the back

"You be quiet! How can I not make a ruckus?" Ichigo yelled back while kicking his face. "I mean look at this guy! What the heck is going on with the security at this house!"

"Hm? Look at what?" Ishin was thinking his son was going crazy from all the ghosts

"What? I'm talking about this-" Ichigo couldn't understand why his father couldn't see the girl in the samurai outfit.

The girl decided to interrupt him and save his breath "It's useless. It's not possible for ordinary people to see me. I am… a Shinigami."

After a long explanation of who the girl is.

"I see… so you're a Shinigami, and you come from a place called the Soul Society to exterminate an evil spirit. Ok, I believe you… Yeah right, like I could believe that retard!"

_"Ichigo… I think you should listen to her…"_ Kiyoko knew it was pointless to talk to her brother but still felt she should at least try.

The girl surprised by his action jumped back and went into her defensive position "You can see ghosts, but you don't believe in Shinigami?"

"Of course, I've never seen a Shinigami. And I don't believe in anything I can't see. Since Dad couldn't see you, I acknowledge that you're not human. But cut the Shinigami crap, got it kid?"

Now the girl was getting mad. "You spoke nonsense. First Restraint, Obstruction!"

Ichigo's arms suddenly went behind his back as if he were handcuffed. _"Ichigo! What did you do to him, Shinigami-san?"_

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Y-You… what did you do to me?"

The girl had her foot on Ichigo's body after a bit of stomping on him. "Fufu… You cannot move! This is Demon Form, an advanced incantation only Shinigami can use. I may look like this, but I have been alive almost 10 times longer than you, and you dare call me a brat? Usually I would kill you for this, but the Spiritual Laws state that I cannot kill a human I have not been ordered to kill. I will have to content with just sealing your movements, give thanks you little brat." Ichigo was already struggling against her. "And…" She pulled out her sword and prepared to stab her target.

"Wai…!" She stabbed the ghost next to Ichigo.

_"Oh my god… I thought he was a goner at that moment. But just who is she? Her spiritual power is stronger than a person, and she has a similar feeling to the ghosts…"_ Kiyoko looked towards the Shinigami.

"Wait… I don't want to go to hell…" The poor ghost was terrified.

"Do not worry, the place you are going is nothing like hell. It is a peaceful place called the Soul Society." The Shinigami girl gave the ghost a reassuring smile as he disappeared into a black hole, only to be replaced by the same black butterfly that had signaled her arrival.

"What happened to that ghost?" Ichigo had to make sure.

"I sent him to the Soul Society, it is called Soul Burial. In you language I believe it's called 'going to heaven', it is one of a Shinigami's duties." She looked at Ichigo's face "I guess I don't need to ask, if you believe me or not anymore. I will kindly explain with illustrations so that even a brat like you can understand, so shut up and listen."

She pulled out a drawing pad from her outfit. "Now in this world, there are two types of spirits: One is called 'plus' it is the most common type of spirit, you could say the ghosts you see are these." Her drawing was a little bunny rabbit surrounded by hearts with the words 'good spirit' in a cloud.

"The other type is called Hollows, they attack the living and dead alike and eat their souls. These are what we call 'evil spirits'" The drawing this time was a bear surrounded by lightning bolts and the word 'bad spirit' in an explosion.

_"! Was the spirit that attacked me and killed mom a hollow? Then what happened to her soul?"_ Kiyoko was starting to worry about her mother's soul

"Any questions so far?" Even the Shinigami cannot see Kiyoko, so she continued teaching Ichigo.

"Yeah, why do your drawings suck so much?"

Kiyoko simply sweat dropped. _"Ichigo… You really should take her words seriously… After all, me and mom were killed by one of the spirits she's talking about. Not that you would know that."_

The Shinigami decided to draw on Ichigo's face as punishment for insulting her drawing skills. "Ah! Just cause I can't fight back!"

"I will continue with the explanation; Shinigami have two duties: one is to guide plus souls to the Soul Society, and the second is to extinguish hollows. That is my current mission."

This caught Kiyoko and Ichigo's attention. _"There's a hollow… here?"_ She looked over to Ichigo _"Is it after Ichigo again? But, I'm not here to warn him, I hope his spiritual powers grew enough to see them this time. Please Shinigami-san, please protect my family."_

"Wait a minute." Ichigo was rubbing off the marks on his face onto the floor "If you came here on mission, does that mean there's a hollow around here?"

"That would be the case."

"Then why are you loitering around here for? Hurry up and get rid of it!" Ichigo couldn't understand why she would let such a dangerous being wander around his town.

"Well… the thing is… I don't know why, but I cannot feel its presence anymore…" She looked disturbed and confused, this had never happened before.

_"I wonder if that's our fault… I mean, my power and Ichigo's power did become one after all this time… and our power has grown."_ Kiyoko sure hoped that something else was disturbing with the Shinigami's senses.

"What do you mean?" Suddenly Ichigo and Kiyoko heard an enormous howl that couldn't have come from a natural source.

'What was that just now…?' Ichigo thought

_'That howl… I heard it before… but it's not from the one that killed me. From something else… Hopefully it's weaker than that one too…'_ Kiyoko was getting more and more worried about her family.

The Shinigami had not noticed yet. "I wonder if some great power is hindering my senses…" she was muttering different theories to herself

"Hey Shinigami!" Ichigo needed to know what the hell that sound was

"What?" The Shinigami is confused as to why the boy is so panicked

"What do you mean 'what'? Didn't you hear that huge voice before!" Ichigo couldn't understand why she was so calm after that sound went through his room

"Voice? What voice..?" Then she heard it. 'I heard it! This is definitely a hollow's voice! But… it sounds like it's filtered through something… What's going on?' But she had more important thoughts at hand 'How did he hear the voice before I, a Shinigami, could?' A young girl's scream interrupted her thoughts

"That's Yuzu's voice! Hey! Where are you going? Was that voice a hollow!" Ichigo felt lost and now, after hearing Yuzu's scream, he _had _to know.

_"Yuzu! Hurry Shinigami-san!"_

"Yes! I will hurry and get rid of it! You stay here!"

"Are you crazy! My family's getting attacked! Release this stupid spell, now!"

"What are you saying? Even if you come, there's nothing you can do! You'll just increase the number of victims! Leave it to me and stay here!" Then she opened the door, only to feel the hollows true strength. 'Such Spiritual force! How could I have not noticed until now? What happened to me?'

"Ichi… You ok…?" Karin's weakened voice and self reached Ichigo's door

And he couldn't believe his eyes "Karin!" She had wounds on her head and body and looked like she could barely move.

"Good… It hasn't come here. It happened so suddenly, blood started pouring out of dad's back and he fell… Yuzu and I were attacked by something large while we were still in shock… and I thought I had to warn you… I wonder what it is… I could see it a little… It looked like dad and Yuzu couldn't though… Ichi… before it sees you… hurry… get away…" she couldn't hold onto consciousness anymore.

"Don't worry, she's just unconscious. Her soul is still…" But she felt him trying something he shouldn't "Stop it! What are you doing? You can't release the spell with a human's power!"

_"Ichi… If I don't help you… You'll just break your soul… Alright Ichi, I'll help you in whatever way I can with this hollow thing."_ She put her hand on his shoulder and poured her own power into him

"Stop it! If you force it, your soul will…!" but then, he was released. The Shinigami was too shocked to move. 'how...? To release demon force with human power… I've never heard of such a ridiculous thing!' "Wait!" He already ran down the stairs. '…What exactly is he…?'

'Yuzu! Dad!' Ichigo was running down the stairs as fast as he could, praying his family is safe. 'Please… don't make me lose more of my family!'

What he saw was a huge monster with a white mask. '…This is… a hollow?'

Kiyoko was more relieved then shocked. _'At least it's not the one from back then… I don't think even the Shinigami could go up against him…'_

Ichigo was too shocked to move. 'She said 'evil spirit' so I thought it would at least look human, but this is a monster!' Ichigo realized he was shacking. 'Damn… why am I shaking? I'm not scared… I'm not scared of something like that! I've seen countless ghosts, this is just another ghost!' Then he saw what the hollow was carrying in its hand.

It was Yuzu. "Yuzu!" _"Yuzu!"_

"Ichigo…" Ichigo was blinded by anger

He ran right at the hollow, but it just swatted him away. If it weren't for the fact he blocked it with his bat, the damage would be worse. By the time Ichigo recovered enough to look at the hollow again, it was already about it hit him again. But before the hollow's hand reached him, the Shinigami had sliced his arm, freeing Ichigo's sister from its grasp.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo caught her before she reached the ground "Yuzu! Hey, are you okay?"

The Shinigami had appeared before him again. "Don't lose focus boy! None of your family members have lost their souls yet!"

"…None?" A wave of relief washed over Ichigo

_"Oh thank goodness…"_

"Yes, even your father lying over there."

"Wait a minute! Don't hollows attack people to eat their souls? Then why did it attack my family?"

"Hollows wonder searching for souls with high spiritual powers. For that, humans are sometimes attacked."

Kiyoko was starting to connect the dots _"Oh god no… Please don't say that…"_ She couldn't bring herself to complete her thought

"…What do you mean…"Ichigo was starting to as well, but was too afraid to actually think the complete thought

"…I have never seen or heard of a human who can see Shinigami and could break demon form on their own. Or a human with such high spiritual powers… Most likely its target… is you…"

Her words hit Ichigo harder than a car ever could. "…It came for me… So, this is my fault…? The reason my dad's over there almost dead, why Karin and Yuzu are covered in blood… It's all…"

_"Ichigo… Shinigami-san, please say some-"_ But when she looked over to see the hollow getting back up, she had other things at hand _"Look out Shinigami-san!"_

The Shinigami felt terrible for making the human boy feel such guilt on something he had no control of. "Wait, I did not mean-" The hollow swatted her away like a bug and she crashed into a nearby wall.

"Shinigami!" The hollow was coming at him howling once more, Ichigo had had enough "That's… enough already!"

Kiyoko was getting really worried now; the look on Ichigo's face was the same as when he usually does something reckless. _"Ichigo… I know you're upset, but please think this one through…This isn't something you'll be able to walk away from if you don't…"_

The Shinigami was coming back to, "to neglect defending my back in the face of the enemy… I was careless…" but the Shinigami had other things to worry about.

Like the teenage boy walking towards the hollow. "Hey… you… want my soul right? Then fight me face to face! No one else has anything to do with this! Just try killing me and taking my soul!"

"Fool!" The Shinigami yelled as the hollow was rushing towards Ichigo with its mouth open and watering

Ichigo was waiting for the hollow to take a bite out him, but what he saw was the Shinigami in its mouth instead. "Shinigami!"

The Shinigami's breath was getting ragged, "hah, hah, you… idiot… I already told you your power was nothing against it… or did you think that everything would be over if you gave him your soul to eat… either way, you're an idiot…!"

The weight of her words were really reaching him this time. "I'm sorry… I just…"

"'Do not worry about it'… is what I would like to say… Unfortunately I am no longer able to fight the hollow… We can only wait… until we become its food…"

'It's all my fault… Everyone will… die…' Ichigo's fist started to clench out of frustration

The Shinigami saw this, a thought came to mind. "Do you want to save your family?"

Hope revived in Ichigo's eyes. "Is there a way? A way to save them? Tell me!"

"There is a way… no, to be exact… there's _only_ one way…" She pulls out her sword "you become… a Shinigami…"

Ichigo didn't understand what she meant, "What are you saying… how can I…"

"You can! Pierce the middle of your chest with this Zanpakutou, and I will insert half of my Shinigami power! That way, you will obtain the powers of a Shinigami temporarily… and be able to fight the hollow on equal terms…"

"Is it okay… to do something like this…?" Ichigo doubted something like this would be ok

"… I do not know… Of course this is a plan set up on your high spiritual nature… the percentage of success is not high… if it fails, you die! However, there is no other way… there's no time to deliberate."

As Kiyoko was listening to this she knew she had to take some of the power as well, to insure Ichigo's safe transformation. _"The only thing I'm worried about is whether or not it really will be temporary…"_

Ichigo thought of it a bit, hesitating from the bet on his life when he heard "… Ichigo…" from Yuzu, "Where are you… Ichigo…"

"Yuzu… are you having a scary dream…" Ichigo assumed in her dream Yuzu wanted Ichigo to save her

But he was wrong. "Don't come… It's dangerous… Hurry and get away… Ichigo…"

'Damn it… why are all of them… worrying about me when they're about to die…!' Ichigo was thinking of his two sisters '…makes me, who's scared for myself… look stupid!' Ichigo's confidence had been revived. "Give me the sword Shinigami! Let's give your idea a try!"

The Shinigami smiled. "It's not 'Shinigami', it's 'Kuchiki Rukia'"

"… I see… I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Let's pray this doesn't become a last greeting…for both of us."

The hollow howled as it ran towards them. "The hollow is coming… If we don't hurry…"

Ichigo grasped onto the sword with the Shinigami "… Let's do this…"

"…Yes…"

_"Don't worry Ichigo… You and me will definitely save our family… Kuchiki-san, I hope your powers won't be truly stolen by us…"_ Kiyoko said as she floated behind Ichigo to take the other half of the Shinigami's power

Rukia's sword went through Ichigo and the invisible Kiyoko and then a blinding light had covered the entire area. The hollow, though confused, kept going at them with the thought of a delicious meal before him.

What he got was another lost arm, and a new Shinigami behind him in the form of his prey. Ichigo stood tall with a sword as large as he was in the Shinigami outfit Rukia was in beforehand, with Kiyoko floating behind him in the same outfit but no sword. She was pouring her energy into Ichigo's sword instead.

Rukia was on the ground, stunned even more than the hollow. "How could… it was only supposed to be half… but all my power was taken…" 'Furthermore, this feeling… that time…' Rukia thought of when she first met Ichigo; how her senses were filtered by some great power 'That was him! The room was completely filled with the spiritual power pouring out of him… it had completely confused my senses!'

As she was watching the battle Rukia thought of the discoveries Ichigo brought onto her 'I have never seen a human that could see Shinigamis! I have never seen a human defeat Demon Form! I have never seen a zanpakuto, which changes form in response to the individual Shinigami's spiritual power… become so large!'

Ichigo had cut off the hollow's leg this time, as the hollow was falling towards him he yelled "Realize the mistake of messing with my family, Fish Face!" as he slashed through the hollow's mask

'This guy… exactly… who is he?


	3. Starter

**Hi Everyone! Thank you for following Ichigo and Kyoko! I was having some trouble thinking of this chapter but it's up now! Oh, and the usual disclaimer: I don't own bleach or any of its characters except Kyoko. **

"**blah" talking**

'**blah' thinking**

**:blah: time/setting**

_**Blah **_**dream/flashback**

"**blah****" Kyoko talking/thinking**

Chapter 2: Starter

_Ichigo was still in his new Shinigami uniform when he heard his name being called. _

"_Ow… What's going on… Ichigo…" It was Ishin, his coat was ripped up and he was bleeding all over. _

"_It hurts… brother…" Yuzu was in the same state as their father. _

"_If you became a Shinigami… weren't you going to protect us?" Ishin yelled, as if Ichigo failed. _

"_OWWWW' Yuzu was even crying _

'_I don't understand… I defeated the hollow thing didn't I?' Ichigo turned to the Rukia. _

"_Sorry. It was too late." She looked as if she really couldn't care less._

"_What? -" Ichigo couldn't hear what he was about to say cause something was louder. _

"GOOOOODDD MOOOORRRNING!" Ishin started yelling as he was about to do his usual kick to wake Ichigo up "IIIIICHIIIIGOOOOO"

Ichigo woke up in time to beat him up for trying. "You bastard. You got a lot of guts attacking your son while he sleeps."

"GUAA… not… bad… my son…" he had a bit of a hard time talking with Ichigo's hand over his mouth. "I… have nothing… left… to teach you…" That's when Ichigo noticed something.

"Hey… what happened to your injuries?"

Ishin just looked at his son like he was crazy. "Injuries? What injuries? When did I get hurt?"

"What?"

Ishin took Ichigo outside and he was introduced (or reintroduced) to the gaping hole in their house "But it sure is a miracle! For a truck to crash into the house and for nobody to be injured!"

"What's more miraculous is that none of us even woke up…" Ichigo sweat dropped

"Oh! Brother, breakfast is ready!" Yuzu said, ignoring the gaping hole in their house

"Yeah, some miracle. Because of that the criminal got away. Jeez, what's with this family?" Karin muttered

'What's going on? Everyone's injuries are healed… and they think the damage was an accident. Is this Shinigami style damage control?' Then Ichigo thought of Rukia, 'Did she go back to the soul society place?'

:Karakura High School:

A girl with long orange hair yawns with a spaced out look on her face.

"Hey! Your mouth is wide open! You're too young to be zoning out like that!" A girl with short somewhat spiked black hair stated in an almost lecturing tone.

"Tatsuki-chan." The orange head said

"Ichigo sure is late." Tatsuki stated almost randomly, but she knew what her best friend was thinking anyway.

"Huh?" The statement had caught the girl by surprise. Her best friend normally doesn't talk about the scowling boy in their school.

"You were worried about Ichigo, weren't you?"

"No I wasn't!" the orange head was almost embarrassed by the thought.

Tatsuki honestly couldn't understand why. "Hey Orihime, why are you so interested in him? He's cold, a brat, has a weird hair color and an even shorter temper than me."

"He's funny!" Orihime replied with a big smile on her face.

Now Tatsuki was really confused. "Huh?"

"I just imagine his indifferent face and…" In her mind Ichigo's face would have bizarre additions and suddenly turn into the face of a famous movie star. "Pfft! It's the best!" Orihime could not contain her laughter anymore.

"…Really…?" Tatsuki decided to just change the topic, sometimes her best friend was just weird.

"He might not come today. Ichigo, that is." A boy with black hair that sticks out at the ends stated.

"What do you mean? Oh yeah, you always come to school with Ichigo…"

"Yup. I went by there this morning and there was a huge hole in the side of his house. His dad said a truck crashed into it last night." Kojima stated it so casually as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"A TRUCK! IS HE INJURED? OR EVEN… DEA-!" Tatsuki never got to finish her sentence since a school bag hit her on the head lightly.

"I'm not dead." Ichigo stated calmly. "Sorry to disappoint, but no one was injured."

"Kurosaki-san!" Orihime was excited after seeing him. "goo… goo… GOOD MORNING!"

"y-Yeah. You're happy as always Inoue." Ichigo replied, surprised by Orihime's loud voice

"So you came? I thought you were helping with repairs…" Kojima stated

"I still need to come to school. What's 3rd?"

"Social Studies."

"Ochi-san eh? Good, he won't bother me much about it."

But as Ichigo was about to sit in her seat… "You're Ichigo Kurosaki right?" an unknown yet somewhat familiar voice stated.

When Ichigo turned to see who it was he was more than shocked "Nice to meet you!" She makes it sound like the two never met.

"Oh, this is Kuchiki-san. She transferred today. It's a weird time, but her family was in a situation where they had to move suddenly." Kojima filled Ichgio in on 'why' she was here.

"Y-You… why?" Ichigo couldn't even think properly.

"What's wrong?" Kojima asked

"Kurosaki-san, I don't have my textbooks yet. May I look at yours?" Ichigo ignored Rukia's question for the message on her hand: 'Say something and I'll kill you'

'What the hell? What is she up to?'

:Later that day:

Ichigo had led Rukia to a place where their conversation wouldn't be heard. By then, Kyoko had joined them from Ichigo's mind after resting from yesterday. "I wonder what Rukia-san is still doing here for?"

"Leading me to such a solitary place, what dost thou intend of me?" Rukia asked

"Stop talking like that. It's weird." Ichigo told her "More archaic than anything…"

"Weird? How rude, it's pretty good for someone who learned in one day."

"Fine. Now will you tell me what's going on?" She looked confused. "Isn't your job over? Why are you in my class? And why aren't you back at that Soul Society place you spoke of?"

"Only Shinigami can return to the Soul Society. Right now, I can't." "Oh no…"

Now I'm confused. "Why?"

"Because, I lost my powers." "Please don't say what I think you're going to say…"

"…What? But I'm not a Shinigami either. Where did your powers go to?"

"Inside you. Your soul became that of a Shinigami. Last night you almost stole all of my powers. I only have a few of my abilities. I'm even forced to use this artificial body" "Oops… That's my fault…"

"Did you just say artificial?"

"The other body of Shinigami, it is to be used in emergencies. A weakened Shinigami would enter it and wait for their powers to be restored."

"So, that's this body… so it's basically your human form?"

"Yes, weakened Shinigami are targets for Hollows, so we pretend to be humans."

"So, what does a weakened Shinigami want with me?"

"Until my powers return, I want you to take over my responsibilities."

"Hah?"

"Well, you're the one with Shinigami powers now. I'll assist you. And you have no right to refuse, since you were…"

Ichigo didn't let her finish that sentence "I refuse." Ichigo even used his arms to show an 'x'.

"…What?" "…Ichigo?"

"I said I refuse. I have no intention of fighting those monsters again."

"Wait! But you…!"

Ichigo interrupted her again."Yesterday, I was only able to fight because my family was in danger. Unfortunately, I'm not so nice as to fight those things for total strangers. Sorry to disappoint." "Liar…"

"I see…" a dark aura started coming from Rukia's body "Then I have no choice!" She put on a red glove with a skull on fire on the back.

"What the…?" Rukia hit Ichigo on his forehead and he literally split apart. "What! My soul separated from my body." "Ichigo! …Why are there two of you?"

"Hey. Follow me." Rukia told him

:20 min later at a park:

"….Hey…." Ichigo was getting really impatient

"Wait, it will be here soon."

"What soon? We've been here for nearly 20 min…"

"Does a spirit come here often?"

"Yeah, a 5-year-old kid, he comes here around 12"

"Your friend?"

"No, I've only seen him three maybe four times. I've never even spoke to him. What about it…?" Rukia suddenly took out a cell phone that had a bunch of information on it. "What's this?" Ichigo asked

"An order from the Soul Society. It means, within 15min of 12, 20-meter vicinity of Yumizawa Children's park… a hollow will appear. Most likely that child will be attacked."

"UWAAAAAA!" The little boy's voice was frantic, as if he would die if no one heard

Then Ichigo saw the kid. He's being chased by a hollow. Only this time it looks more like a spider. But more importantly, he's terrified. Ichigo was about to go and save him when Rukia stopped him. "Wait! You're going to help him? Isn't he a stranger?"

"So what? How can I not help him when he's right in front of me?" "Rukia-san… What are you planning…?"

"Whether it happens in front of you or far away, it doesn't change the fact that he's being attacked."

"Oww!" he tripped, the hollow hot on his tail. Ichgio made another move towards him but Rukia interrupted him again.

"DON'T HELP HIM! Even if you save him now, nothing will matter unless you become a Shinigami! You want to save him because he's in front of you? Don't be naïve. A Shinigami has to treat all spirits equally! You can't just conveniently save those you can see, those you can reach. Don't you dare save him with such half-heartedness! If you want to save him now, then accept that you have to save them all. To go anywhere, to do anything, to risk even your life to save them, make that commitment!"

'… Give your life… Like she did for me?' "Rukia-san… You don't really know Ichigo very well…" Kyoko thought with a smile.

"Who are you?" The hollow asked as Ichigo walked up to it. Ichigo ignored its question to slice

"Ichigo… have you accepted?"

"Shut the fuck up." Ichigo ended up stabbing his sword to the ground WAY too close to the child's arm. "I saved him because I wanted to, is there something wrong with that?" Kyoko giggled behind him "I knew he'd answer like that."

"Wha…?"

"Are you any different! You sacrificed your life to save me yesterday! When you did, were you thinking of something as complicated as 'this is my Shinigami duty'? That's not what sacrificing your life means! At the very least…." The hollow was coming back up and was about to attack Ichigo. Ichigo just put his blade in front of its mask. "I'm different! I don't accept any commitment… if things get bad I might run away… since I'm not good enough a person to give up my life for strangers…. But, I'm also not trash that can live happily without paying back her depts. I'll help you with this Shinigami thing."

Finally a real smile on her face, not like those fake ones for Ichigo's classmates. "Yeah… thanks…"

"It'll work out…" Kyoko thought as she watched the two, then she thought of what her mother told her "I wonder if mother knew Ichigo would end up a substitute Shinigami…"


	4. Head Hitting

**Hi everyone! Thank you for following Ichigo and Kyoko! Hope you liked them so far! Now let's see how things go from now on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters except Kyoko or any OC I end up making**

"**blah" talking**

'**blah' thinking**

**:blah: time/setting**

_**Blah**_** dream/flashback**

**Blah**** Kyoko thoughts/talks**

* * *

Chapter 3: Head Hitting

* * *

Rukia was reading a manga out loud with great passion, as if she was in it herself, when Ichigo came up behind her, bat in hand, yelling "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Kyaa! You fool! Don't surprise me! I-I'm… Studying modern speech!"

"Studying modern speech? You're making me train while you relax and read a manga?" Ichigo yelled. "Ichigo… I don't think you should yell at Rukia-san… I mean, she is helping you train…' Kyoko 'told' her brother

Rukia noticed that Ichigo wasn't actually training "Hm? You're done with the training?"

"Hitting 100 pepper-filled balls, right? Yeah, I'm done. Breaking open 100 pepper-filled balls, what kind of training is that?"

"You fool, the pepper-filled balls were only the bad ones!" Rukia yelled

"Bad balls?" Ichigo was confused now

"Yes!" There was a silence between the two "…You didn't… just hit them all, did you?" Rukia asked in a strangled tone

"Yeah, perfectly!"

"You fool! How many times did I tell you to only hit the balls that had a picture of a head on them! What do you think this training is for?"

"I don't know what it's for! Plus, how am I supposed to tell which one of your pictures are heads and which aren't?" to make his point, Ichigo held up the two different balls. The only difference was that one had a face and the other had hand lines. "They are quite bad Rukia-san… I can see how Ichigo wouldn't be able to tell if it was thrown at him…" Kyoko had to agree

While the two were arguing, Orihime was walking down the street singing her song when she noticed Ichigo. "Huh? It's Kurosaki-san!" She said happily, with a slight blush on her face

Back with Ichigo and Rukia, Rukia started to explain the point of the training. "Listen! A hollow's weakness is its head! If you slice the head, you can defeat it in one blow! This training is so that you can accurately hit the head in any situation!"

"Why do I have to do that? I've been beating them fine so far." Ichigo questioned.

"You fool! Have you once defeated a hollow in one hit? Sneaking up to a hollow and defeating it in one hit is the basics of defeating them! It's a miracle that you've remained unscathed so far, the way you've been fighting!" Rukia yelled "Is it really?" Kyoko wondered, knowing full well how strong Ichigo can be

"Attacking from behind? How can I fight so dirty like that?" Ichigo asked

"Fool! Save that stuff for fights against humans! Your opponents are hollows, the same rules don't apply! If you keep talking naively like that, you'll end up dead!"

"Is it that dangerous to think like that?" Kyoko had to wonder

"… But that's…" Ichigo started

Until he was interrupted by Orihime's loud "Hello, Kurosaki-san!" completely destroying the serious atmosphere

"Inoue! W-w-what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked/yelled while trying to slow the beating of his heart

"Eheheh. Just doing a little dinner shopping. I bought onions and butter and bananas and gelatin!"

As she was describing her shopping list Ichigo and Kyoko thought the same thing. 'What is she planning to make?'

"What are you doing here, Kurosaki-san?" Orihime asked, breaking Ichigo from his train of thought

"Oh me? Uh…." Ichigo started, trying to figure out an excuse 'What should I say? Telling her I'm training would be embarrassing.' "How so?" Kyoko wondered, oblivious to many things

While Ichigo was thinking, Orihime looked behind him and noticed Rukia. "Kuchiki-san!"

"Hm? Who the hell are you?" Rukia bluntly asked

"Idiot! That's Inoue! She's in our class!" Ichigo whispered to Rukia

"Class?" Rukia's voice and actions suddenly changed "Oh, Inoue-san. Honored to make your acquaintance!" She said in a sweet voice

'I see… In front of my classmates, she intends to play that character…' Ichigo thought, behind him Kyoko was hiding thinking 'Rukia-san is scary…'

"Eh? Yes… honored to make your…?" Orihime tried to reply to Rukia's hello

'You're going along with it?' Was all Ichigo could think as he watched. While watching, he noticed the bandage on Orihime's arm. "What's wrong…with your arm? You fall down?"

"Oh, this?" Orihime asked while pointing at her arm. "No. I was hit!"

"H-hit! By a car?" Ichigo yelled. 'Is she normally like this?' Kyoko had to wonder while watching. 'Oh well, I'm kinda tired Ichigo. So I'm going back for a nap.' With that, Kyoko went back into Ichigo's mind

"Yeah! Last night I went out shopping to get something to drink and BAM! I've been getting hit a lot lately." Orihime replied while laughing

"You shouldn't be laughing! That's a serious accident! You should be upset!" Ichigo chided her

"Well, it's not like they hit me on purpose…" Orihime started

"You get hurt often, Inoue-san?" Rukia asked, finally joining the conversation

"More than often! It's almost every day!" Ichigo replied for Orihime

"I zone out a lot so…." Orihime didn't need to explain anymore

"Then you shouldn't act like it's unavoidable like that!" Ichigo went back to lecturing Orihime

"Hm…" Rukia said to herself 'Oh… she's just an airhead.' Rukia thought to herself in relief, until she saw the wound on Orihime's leg."…That mark on your leg… Can I see it?"

"Sure, go ahead." Orhime replied, seeing nothing wrong with it. "I got this last night, too, so I think it must have been when I was hit by the car." While she was saying this, Rukia's face had gotten very serious after examining the wound. "Kuchiki-san…? What's with the scary face?" Orihime asked in a worried tone

"Huh? Oh, no. I was just thinking… it looks painful…" Rukia replied, trying to hide her actual reason

"Wow, you're right! My leg hurts much more than my arm!" Orihime exclaimed while pointing to her arm

"Ahh? Have you gone numb with pain? Go to a doctor. Doctor!" Ichigo yelled

Orihime started to blush at that. "Huh? Um—m…"

Ichigo was confused at that "Why does that make you blush?"

But instead of answering his question, Orihime looked to her watch and exclaimed "Oh, it's this late!"

"In a rush?" Ichigo asked

"Yeah! Laugh Hour is almost on!" Orihime replied while starting to run up the stairs

"You want me to walk you home?" Ichigo asked out of courtesy

"Wha…What? N…No! I'm fine!" Orihime nervously answered on reflex

"Ok! See you tomorrow!" Ichigo answered

"Huh? Oh, um… Yeah! See you! Darn… he surprised me so I refused… But he didn't have to give up so easily…" Orihime muttered as she walked home

"Haa… looking at her wears me out, can't help but worry." Ichigo said to himself as he watched her go

"… That Inoue girl…" Rukia started "Are you close?"

"Not really. She reminds me of my twin sister a bit and she's best friends with someone who lived in my neighborhood since 8th grade."

"And family?"

Ichigo had to think about that one. "…One. She had a much older brother."

"Had?" Rukia asked, wondering why he used past tense

"Yeah, he died three years ago. I was the one who opened the door so I remember it. It was as I was about to leave for school. The clinic wasn't open, yet I heard the bell ring. A girl was there with her brother on her back. It was a car accident, there was blood everywhere. There was nothing we could do with our equipment, he died before the ambulance could take him to a bigger hospital. I only recently learned that the girl was her." Ichigo looked over to Rukia "Why are you asking? You interested in her?"

"Not really." Rukia replied with a blank face

"Then why ask?" He yelled to her back

"Enough. Let's go home too."

At that comment Ichigo realized something "Where the hell do you go all the times anyway? I mean you nowhere to live here."

"Are you interested in my personal life?" Rukia asked in a superior tone

"I'm not interested in that!" Ichigo snapped

"Then don't ask." Rukia replied while leaving him behind

* * *

Later that day in the Kurosaki home Yuzu's voice could be heard throughout the house "Brother! Have you seen my dress?" She asked while opening the door to his room

"Hey, don't walk in without knocking!" Ichigo scolded her while coming up the stairs

"Oh! You were downstairs." Yuzu realized "Oh! You took a bath, I wanted to go in too!"

"Are you stupid? You're in 5th grade now, learn to go by yourself already." Ichigo commented while opening his door

"Brother… You've become colder since going to high school!" Yuzu whined with a pout on her face

"No I have not. And I don't know about your dress."

"What! I'm missing a pair of pajamas too!" Yuzu complained

"I don't know about that either! Why do you think I know the answers to everything?" Ichigo wondered before going into his room

* * *

Rukia was in a dark room that looked similar to a closet when a beeping could be heard from her chest. Rukia looked at the cell phone 'An order…This place is…' Rukia couldn't believe what she saw

* * *

Ichigo was doing his homework when he could hear a beeping. "What this? At this hour… are Yuzu or Karin playing video games?" The beeping suddenly stopped

But then Rukia suddenly came out of his closet "Ichigo!"

"Wah! You! Since when have you been there! And why are you wearing Yuzu's pajamas!"

At that time Kyoko had appeared from Ichigo's mind, wondering what freaked him out so much. "Rukia-san, why are you coming out of Ichigo's closet?"

"Forget about that! It's an order!" Rukia yelled

At that, Ichigo refocused "Where will the hollow appear?"

"The time and place… are both… now" Rukia put on her glove for Ichigo's transformation "and Here!" She changed him just as a hollow's hand came out of Ichigo's bed.

"Wah?" In front of him was the biggest hollow Ichigo has seen in a while.

"Go for the head!" Rukia yelled

"I know!" Ichigo sliced at the hollows head

'Not deep enough!' Rukia cursed internally

The hollow cried in pain and escaped through Ichigo's wall, but all Ichigo was paying attention to was what was under the mask. Kyoko noticed this and wondered what was going on "Ichigo? What's wrong?"

"He got away! We're going after him!" Rukia exclaimed

"Wait!" Ichigo refused to move "What's going on? That was… Inoue's brother!" "EH?"

Rukia looked back and knew she had some explaining to do "I told you that sneaking up from behind and killing a hollow in one hit was the basics against a hollow attack… that's to protect from being damaged. But, there's also one more reason: to kill them in one hit, and avoid seeing the hollow's identity!" Rukia finally looked at him "Because all hollows… are the souls of formerly normal humans!"


	5. Why do you eat it

**Hi everyone! Sorry I didn't update this is SOOO long but I just didn't have that writer's spark! Anyway, I'm updating now and hopefully my writing will be better this time. (I just reviewed my previous chapters and am horrified with my writing ) **

"**talking"**

'**thinking'**

_**Dream/Flashback**_

"**Kyoko speak****"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor its characters**

Chapter 4: Why do you eat it

* * *

Ichigo tried to swallow what Rukia just told him "Wh-What do you mean normal humans? You never told me this!" He yelled while grabbing the hem of Rukia's clothing "Aren't they monsters? Aren't they things that must be defeated?"

"How could a normal person end up like that?" Kyoko wondered in horror

"They _are_ monsters now and _must_ be defeated!" Rukia yelled

"What have I been killing up till now?" Ichigo demanded

"We don't have time to discuss that! That girl will die." Rukia yelled

* * *

Orihime and Tatsuki were talking and eating some snacks when a muffled inhuman roar echoed through Orihime's room. "Wha?" Orihime started

"What was that sound?" Tatsuki questioned when Orihime's teddy bear fell to the ground.

"Ah! Enraku fell down! Are you ok Enraku?" Orihime exclaimed

Tatsuki sighed with relief "Oh just a stuffed animal." Then she did a take-back "What's an 'Enraku'?"

Orihime overlooked her bear only to discover a large gash on its face "Why is he ripped?"

"Wow…" Tatsuki observed "Maybe the fabric just wore out."

"No way…" Orihime was near tears now, when she noticed her bear was wet. When she examined her hand she saw a deep red liquid "What's this…? Looks like blood." Orihime suddenly felt as if a giant hand went right through her chest.

Orihime fell to the ground with a blank look on her face "Orihime! What's wrong?" Tatsuki exclaimed

* * *

"Hollows attack their families?" Ichigo yelled as he carried Rukia to Orihime's home. Kyoko was simply trying to take everything in without panicking.

"Yes!" Rukia answered

"Why? Don't hollows eat souls when they're hungry? I thought they were indiscriminant!" Ichigo yelled back

Rukia's expression darkened when she stated "The hollows that indiscriminately attack humans and other spirits are…the ones that have already eaten their families." Ichigo almost said something but Rukia interrupted "And one more thing…Hollows don't eat souls because they are hungry, they eat souls to ease their pain and suffering." Ichigo gave her a look that basically screamed 'start talking'. "A hollow is a 'fallen soul': souls that weren't brought to the soul society by a Shinigami, souls that escaped, souls that weren't protected from hollows, souls that degenerates, loses its heart and become hollows, and…a souls that becomes a hollow to fill its empty heart… they all seek out the ones they loved most in their life." Rukia explained "You often hear stories about a husband dying and then the wife dying a few years afterwards, right? That's because the husband became a hollow and ate the wife's soul."

Ichigo continued going, digesting what Rukia just told her. "How close was _I_ to becoming one?" Kyoko wondered in fear

Rukia paused once more before recapping on their current predicament "Today, when we saw Inoue, she had a large mark on her leg, right? That was a hollow bite mark." Ichigo looked back at her in shock, but refrained from saying anything. "That's why I asked you 'does she have family?'. You replied 'she had one much older brother', if you're right that this much older brother is her only family then there's no doubt... Inoue will be the one to be attacked!"

* * *

Tatsuki was suddenly sent to the wall with a bloody wound on her shoulder. She looked at it and yelled "What is this? Why is blood…?"She didn't get to finish when a large weight was forced on her and she was sent to the ground.

Tatsuki couldn't see the hollow, but Orihime could. She was off to the side, or at least her spirit was. There was a chain connecting her soul to her body. 'What? What's going on? What is this big ghost thing?' she then looked over to her fallen body 'My body…is over there. What's happened to me? Did I die? My head is spinning…' Orihime finally noticed the chain on her chest 'What's this chain? It really… hurts. I… want to break it.'

The hollow took his hand and started to choke Tatsuki, who still couldn't see him. "Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime exclaimed 'Why am I just sitting here… I have to help her!' Orihime thought as she ran to the hollows arm and pushed it out of the way. Tatsuki immediately started to gasp desperately. "Are you alright Tatsuki-chan? Hurry and run away!" But Tatsuki simply continued to pant helplessly. "Tatsuki-chan! What's wrong? Can't you hear me?"

"It's useless… Orihime…" the hollow's voice echoed. Orihime slowly looked at the hollow with fear in her eyes "She can neither hear us nor see us."

"Why… do you know my name?" Orihime asked, confusion and fear melting together

The hollow paused before asking "You even forgot my voice? HOW SAD, ORIHIME!" he yelled as he brought his hand down to kill Orihime

It never reached her. Ichigo and her giant sword were blocking the hollow's hand. Orihime was in shock "Kurosaki-san?"

The hollow was confused "You interfere?"

Ichigo smirked "Sorry, but that's my job. If you want to kill Inoue… you better kill me first." Kyoko floated behind him determined to help her brother the whole way.


	6. Don't say to your Sister

**Hi everyone! I sorry I haven't updated in SOOOOOO long! I'm so sorry! T.T**

Chapter 5: Don't say to Your Sister

* * *

Ichigo and the hollow were at a standstill, 'He's… not attacking.' Ichigo observed, 'Did the sword wound scare him off?'

Kyoko was worried, "Is he really just cautious? I mean, he _did_ attack us first…"

Ichigo allowed his gaze to fall on Tatsuki's injured form, 'Tatsuki… she was just hanging out here and became a victim…' Ichigo was beginning to be filled with the spirit of vengeance. As Ichigo was glancing around the room, he noticed a third form on the ground. 'Hm? Someone's on the ground over there… who is it?' Ichigo suddenly recognized the form as Orihime's. Ichigo's eyes widened as he thought, 'Inoue?' Ichigo quickly turned around thinking, 'It can't be! Inoue's behind me!'

But when he did, Orihime exclaimed, "Oh. I thought so! It's Kurosaki-san!" Ichigo couldn't believe his ears

"_Why do you hide yourself while walking?" Rukia inquired as Ichigo was hiding behind telephone poles_

_Ichigo looked at Rukia incredulously, "Why? Isn't it obvious? What if someone saw me?"_

_Rukia simply shook her head, "You think an average person can see a Shinigami? A Shinigami is a spiritual body! It can only be seen by other spirits!"_

Ichigo stared at Orihime, "Why… can you see me…?" he whispered

"And why are there two of you Inoue-san?" Kyoko questioned

Orihime was confused now too, "Eh? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The hollow mocked behind Ichigo, "It's because that's her soul! Too bad for you. Orihime is ALREADY DEAD!"

Ichigo swung his sword in fury, but the Hollow's tail got in the way. Ichigo looked closer at the tail and realized, 'Scales! My blade can't cut through them…'

* * *

A blast was formed above Rukia as Ichigo as sent out of Orihime's home with a bleeding forehead. "Damn…" he cursed

"Ichigo!" Kyoko cried

"What's wrong?" the hollow called, "For a guy spouting off big words… your movements sure are slow." The hollow began to open its mouth, as it asked, "Is it that much of a shock to see that Orihime's soul has been removed from her body HUH, ICHIGO KUROSAKI?" Some kind of liquid shot out of the hollow's mouth and landed right on Ichigo's sword hand.

Ichigo's hand began to burn from the liquid, "Uaa!" he cried as he released his sword. Realizing too late that the hollow was attacking. The hollow's tail slammed down on Ichigo's form and forced him to land on the ground.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled as she ran to the fallen orange-head

* * *

Orihime was shocked, "K…. Kurosaki-san!" she cried, but the hollow's hand grabbed her and prevented her from moving "Let me go! Kurosaki-san is…" she cried. Out of desperation, Orihime began to even bite the hollow's hand

"Orihime…" the hollow called, "Have you really… forgotten about me?" the hollow brought its other hand up and raised it's bangs as he cried, "It's me, Orihime!"

Orihime's eyes widened in recognition, "B… big brother?"

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, "Wake up, Ichigo!"

Ichigo managed to wake up from Rukia's yelling, "What happened?" Rukia inquired, clearly upset that Ichigo was so easily defeated

"Nothing. This is just different from before. It's affecting me." Ichigo replied

"Ichigo..." Kyoko sighed, her eyes showing understanding for her brother's confusion.

Rukia's expression darkened, "I see… Well then, that's fine, but… don't forget. If you lose, he will eat Inoue's soul!" her words practically echoing in Ichigo's mind

* * *

"Is…is that really you, big brother?" Orihime asked, still very shell shocked

"Yes it is, Orihime." The hollow sighed in relief, "So, you haven't forgo-"

But he was interrupted when Orihime cried, "Why? Why would you do horrible things to Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-san?"

"Why?" The hollow repeated, "Isn't it obvious? Those two… tried to tear you and I apart!"

Orihime was truly confused, "Wha…?"

"After I died, you would pray for me everyday." The hollow explained, "It made me so…happy. I had died but… I felt that everything would be all right just from your prayers. But a year or so after that you became friends with that girl. Since then… I watched on as the days you prayed for me diminished!" Orihime's eyes widened in realization, "Then you entered high school… and Ichigo Kurosaki appeared. You finally… stopped praying for me all together! Before you'd leave and when you'd come home, all you would talk about to me was Kurosaki Ichigo! It was painful… Seeing myself disappear more and more each day from you heart."

"No!" Orihime cried, "That's not true, brother! I just…"

But Orihime couldn't finish, "I was sad! All alone… so lonely… So many times I just wanted… to kill…" her brother when on

Then, Ichigo appeared from the large hole the hollow created. The hollow simply used his tail to hold Ichigo into place. "Kurosaki-san!" Orihime cried

"Now… let's go, Orihime. Together with me… let's live together, like we used to." Her brother cooed

"Why?" Orihime gasped, "If you were sad, you should have said so… Why did you… hurt Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-san like this… My brother… wasn't a person who did things like this!" she cried

The hollow suddenly grabbed her tightly, surprising both Orihime and Ichigo at his sudden change. "_I'll kill you! _Who do you thing turned me into this?" he yelled, tightening his grip even more on Orihime. "It was you, Orihime!" Orihime was having trouble breathing and her brother wouldn't stop saying he would kill her.

The echo of a sword swinging was heard. The hollow's hands were suddenly disconnected from the rest of him. Ichigo, in his fury, also cut the hollow's tail to bits. "Do you know… why the elder brother is born first?" he gritted out, "It's to protect… the little brothers and sisters that come after him! A brother telling his sister 'I'll kill you'… You _never_ _ever_ say something like that!" he yelled

"Ichigo…" Kyoko sighed sadly, "You didn't fail to protect me, Ichigo. I'm still here."

The hollow wailed at the loss of his hands and tail. "Why? Why do you interfere, Ichigo Kurosaki?"


	7. Author's Note

**Hiatus announcment**

**To everyone who has been loyally reading my stories and now ask me to update, I am sorry to announce that I am putting all my story writing on hold. I ****_will_**** come back continue my stories but it will take some time. I am truly sorry for these sad news. I will try to update my stories as soon as I get the time to write them but I am very busy with college right now. I hope you understand. Thank you for reading/favoriting/subscribing to my stories and profile and I hope to be able to give back to you soon. **

**With love and saddness, IceDragon5683**


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